WESTERN MOUNTAIN-ASH 



Sorbus sambucifolia (Chamisso and Schlechtendal) Roemer 



Western mountain-ash usually grows in stony places, beneath large 

 trees or in openings in the forest. In especially favorable situations it 

 sometimes develops into a tree 2.0 feet high. It is not a relative of the 

 ashes, as its name would imply, but belongs to the Apple Family. The 

 brilliant scarlet fruits, resembling miniature apples, are a favorite food 

 of birds, especially in winter. The flavor of these fruits is not agreeable 

 to the human palate, although when crushed in water they yield a 

 subacid beverage that is not unpleasant. The small white flowers, 

 which unfold in spring, are arranged in broad, flat-topped clusters. The 

 buds, before expansion, are cream-colored. The open flowers are very 

 sweet-scented. 



A related European species is called rowan-tree or rowan 



This species of mountain-ash ranges from the southern Rockies of 



Arizona and New Mexico, northward to Alberta and Alaska. It is 



known also from Siberia. 



The specimen from which the painting was made grew on the 



motor road near Vermilion Summit, about twelve miles from Castle 



Station, Alberta, at an altitude of 5,000 feet. 



PLATE 162. 



